History and Healing
by madgeofhonor02
Summary: This is a story of the history between Hazelle Hawthorne and Haymitch Abernathy. They grow back together and use each other to lean on and finally heal old wounds.
1. Chapter 1

"Hello anyone home". I knock on the door again. Silence. After 10 minutes I turn the knob and walk in, I will my feet not to turn and run. Katniss said I would have my work cut out for me with this new job, what an understatement that was. Hard work I am not afraid of, but whatever is living under that dirty dish tower in the sink is liable to bite.

"Hello is anyone here" I holler louder this time. Still no answer but I see Haymitch passed out at the table and decide to get to work on that tower.

As I am rinsing off the dishes I feel a cool blade by my neck and his hot liquor filled breath in my ear.

"Do you mind telling me what the hell you are doing in my house?"

"Do mind getting that knife away from my neck." He puts it down and I turn to see his confused, sleep dazed look turn clear. "Jesus Hazelle, what are you doing here?"

"Well besides almost getting stabbed Katniss said you could use a house keeper.

"And you agreed to help me"

"No Haymitch you hired me and I am charging double for life threatening incidents."

"Sorry about that I am not used to having unexpected guests"

"Really", I say holding up an empty bottle of white lighting, "because it looks like you threw quite the party".

"Yeah speaking of that I need to see Ripper, so you can let yourself out."

He storms out of the house and heads to town leaving me to decide if I should just leave, but as I think about my kids I get to work instead.

I am upstairs cleaning the bathroom when I hear the door open a few hours later followed by a string of curse words. I assume it's because Ripper is not in business right now, and Haymitch's precious liquor supply is out, but I hear him storm up the stairs. I walk out to find him glaring at me. "I told you to see yourself out, meaning leave not destroy my house".

"Destroy your house I believe you have done a fine job of that yourself I just made it to where you could see the floor, and it didn't smell like a wild boar lived here." I storm down the stairs and grab a bowl from the cabinet. "This your supper I figured with the hob out of business you haven't had a hot meal in a while, I am however going to take some home for Posey she is still recovering from the measles , after you pay me that is."

When I look back at him that fire in his eyes is gone, he somberly reaches in his pocket, pulls out coins. He presses them into my palm then storms upstairs.

I realize what I have done when I hear sobs from the bedroom, after 25 years the mere mention of her name still brings him to tears.


	2. Chapter 2

Haymitch POV

I awake to swollen eyes and an unfamiliar feeling of clarity. I need a drink but when I went to town yesterday Ripper was in the stocks. How could Katniss think that hiring Hazel was a good idea? I swear that girl is making me regret saving her life.

Posy has been everywhere lately. She was in my thoughts the night Peeta proposed. It reminded me of how I dropped to one knee in the snow in front of the frozen fountain. I asked her to marry me even though I was broken victor, she smiled that smile that made me whole and said yes.

She was in that hot pink dress that Katniss wore on the victory tour. I could have killed Cinna when I saw her in that dress, with her seam eyes and olive skin, it was like looking and Posey.

I thought I might be okay with having a clean house and could deal with Hazelle being around for a little while but when she mentioned Posey's name last night, I realized hiring her has been a mistake. I can't however turn her away I know she is desperate for money if she is working for me. I feel it's the least I can do to keep her around because once again her life has been ruined by having a connection to a victor, and once again I am to blame.

A knock at the door drags me out of my daze. "Peeta it's about damn time you brought me some more liquor I knew you had some. " I open the door to find Hazelle.

"Sorry not Peeta, but I did bring you some coffee I figured you could use some.

"Hazelle what are you doing here".

"Laundry there is probably months of it in that house." She fires back in a sassy but determined tone.

"Hazelle I really would just rather live in filth than have you be here every day, here is some money , and help yourself to the pantry but please don't come back". If flames could shoot out of someone's eyeballs my whole house would be on fire. She shoves me aside and points her finger sharply into my chest.

"I will not be your charity case Mr. Abernathy. I also refuse to set by while my children starve to death so like it or not I am going to clean and cook for you and you are going to pay me. Got it."

"Fine there is a machine in that room that washes clothes for you and one that dries them too. If you can figure out how to use them have at it."

"You have a machine that washes clothes, meanwhile I have been scrubbing my hands to the bone for years, some friend you are". She says in a teasing tone.

"Well if you can figure out the machine you are welcome to bring other peoples clothes up here to wash them." It's a small gesture but her eyes look like they are going to tear up when I say it.

"That won't be necessary I don't have any other customers after Gale got whipped."

Gale's torture yet another place I saw Posey. The moment I saw his torn flesh I was zipped back to a time when it was me not Katniss yelling at the then newly wedded Mrs. Everdean to take the pain away.

"Earth to Haymitch hello did you hear what I said"

Hazelle snaps her fingers in front of me and on instinct I grab her wrist.

"Haymitch let go, look outside"

I do just in time to see Mrs. Everdean let two peacekeepers into her home. My heart drops have they found out our plan, are we all doomed? I race outside and run smack into Peeta.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"Nope but we better make sure sweet heart hasn't gotten herself killed or worse."

When we walk in we are greeted by two very agitated peacekeepers who demand to know the whereabouts of out precious girl on fire. I really don't know but I can guess she took off into the woods. I decide to play a game of cheese with Peeta and wait for her return.

When she finally decides to make an appearance I can tell that she is injured form the moment she hobbles through the door. I also notice that the peacekeepers are surprised she has returned at all. When they give her the message the fence surrounding district 12 will be charged 24/7 my suspicions about where she was are confirmed. After they leave I fight with my hands and convince them that shaking some sense into the injured girl is not a good idea. Plus I don't think her mother or Peeta would approve.

"WHY DO YOU INSITS ON MAKINING STUPID , STUPID DECIONS? FOR SOMEONE WHO FOUGHT SO HARD TO STAY ALIVE YOU SEEM TO HAVE A HUGE DEISRE TO DIE."

I can tell the sleep syrup her mother gave her is taking effect because instead of yelling back she just says "I had to get out".

I find out from her mother that a huge box of wedding dresses arrived today. I head back home if a box of wedding dresses can make her have a panic attack I can't imagine what her reaction to the announcement of the Quarter Quell will be. I can, however imagine it will need to involve liquor.


	3. Chapter 3

Haymitch POV

I am on my way to my mother's house but I need to stop in town first. I saw yesterday that Mr. Mellark had a pretty cake with pink frosting on it and I want that for Posey. I am paying him for my purchase when I hear a loud bang outside. I am expecting to hear a siren which is typical procedure for a mine explosion, but they never come. I go outside Posey's cake in hand when Riper runs by me. "There has been an explosion in the Seam one of the houses blew up." She looks terrified probably thinking her father's steel had exploded. I run with her careful not to drop the cake. I want everything to be perfect when we tell my mother we are getting married.

Perfect is that last thing I see. People try to hold be back but I run up to my childhood home which is now in flames. I trip over something before I reach the place where my home used to stand, and it moans. I look to down to see Posey or what is left of her. Her left eye is hanging from the socket, he skin is gone replace by charcoal, and her left arm and leg are also nowhere to be found. She is screaming, and moaning in pain a noise I can't bear. I look up to see Mrs. Everdean I beg her to do something but she just hands me a bottle of liquor "for the pain" she says and then hurries off. I try to get Posey to drink it but her broken body refuses to let her. I hold her, and wait knowing there is nothing else I can do. After two unbearable hours I quickly realize that Mrs. Everdean gave me the liquor for my pain. I just sit there waiting holding the love of my life as she suffers until she finally succumbed to her injuries. At that time I gulp down that bottle trying to erase everything, I don't think there is enough liquor in the world to numb what I felt.

I awake angry with the need to break something, the feeling I always get when I dream of my loved ones murder. People tried to tell me I was crazy that the stove blew up the house. I knew better. I knew he killed them he wanted me to suffer and when I received a dozen white roses from the President himself my suspicions were confirmed. He made me an example to all the others the games had rules and I broke them.


	4. Chapter 4

Hazelle's POV

It took me a week to get Haymitch's house into a livable condition, and when I came in today things looked okay until I got to his bedroom. I worked so hard to clean up in here and it was for nothing. I try to focus on the task at hand but I keep replaying the screaming match I had with Gale.

"WHY WOULD YOU LET HIM SIGN UP. AFTER EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE. I WORK IN THE MINES SIX DAYS A WEEK, I RISK MY LIFE EVERY SUNDAY TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE. I WAS TORUTURED ALL SO HE WOULD NEVER HAVE TO PUT HIS NAME IN THAT DEATH BOWL."

"What kind of mother allows her son to do that?"

What kind of mother am I? Not a good one I can tell you that. I depended on my teenage son to put food on the table when his father died. I let him risk his life by going into the woods and hunting, I allowed him to sign up for terrasre 36 times. My son was almost beaten to death because he found a turkey. I watched him scream in pain for hours knowing it should have been me.

Things are bad and only getting worse. There is nothing I can do as I mother I am supposed to be able to protect my kids instead I let them sign up for certain death. The weight of this world is too much to carry I fall to the floor and fall apart. I cry until I think I have nothing else left when something under the bed catches my eye. I go over and discover it is a pink box I know this was Posey's I also know that opening this box is going to send my emotional state into a tailspin.

I open it against my better judgment. I find myself face to face with my sister. She is posing with a younger sober Haymitch and they are the picture of happiness. I find a pink dress, her wedding dress I know I helped her pick it out. I also see a letter and open it,

_Our young lives have been faced with many obstacles but no matter what life has thrown at us we have always overcome it . We have survived growing up in the Seam together. You brought a ray of sun to my darkest days. I thought I would lose you in more than one way to the games but you found a way to win on your terms. You didn't let them turn you into something you're not. You say you're broken and that maybe true but the best part of you is still intact so don't forget it. You made a promise to come back to me so I am making a promise to you. Here's to us may we always remember that our love is the only thing we need, with it we will always bounce back. _

It's her wedding toast. I remember her reading to me. She loved that bouncing back line because that's how she said he came back to her. He threw that weapon into the force field and it bounced back causing him to win. She said that's what she loved about him he could bend but he would never break. Little did she know her death along was the one thing that finally did him in.

The toast conjures up a new wave of tears I didn't know I had. I cling to it and let everything out. I cry for my sweet older sister whose life got cut short. I cry for my husband who never got to meet his daughter. I cry for my kids and the fact that I fail them every day. In the end I just cry.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi guys I am seeing that the story is being read. That is great this is my first venture into fan fiction and so far I am loving it. I have a few more chapters that I am working on but would like some feed back on the story if you like it please leave a review. Thanks so much.


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